The U.S. truck fleet shed more than 2% of verified vehicles in the fourth quarter as the carrier population continues to contract in the face of stiff market headwinds, data from RigDig (sister brand of Trucks, Parts, Service) shows in our newest Mapping the Market quarterly report.
Introduced last fall, Mapping the Market is a recurring educational series from TPS that leverages active U.S. carrier and owner-operator registration information tracked through RigDig to show changes in the nation’s fleet size and distribution.
In our inaugural report, we saw the U.S. fleet’s equipment totals contracted in Q3 despite a slight increase in trucking operations. That unevenness was eliminated in the fourth quarter.
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The carrier and owner-operator population shrunk by 1.47% at the conclusion of the quarter, while trailers were down by 1.34% and the vehicles database shed more than 55,000 units, 2.17% of the population.
Similarly to our initial report, fluctuations in the fleet population were not consistent nationwide. The Southeast saw the largest reductions in equipment while the Midwest marketplace was most consistent.
Every state saw a reduction in active prospects but, again, the Southeast was hardest hit by carrier exits.
Southeastern U.S., Alaska hardest hit by reduction in force
Arkansas experienced the largest reduction in vehicles for the second straight quarter in Q4 and has now lost almost 19% of its power units (9,794 vehicles) since June 30. In Q4, Arkansas was the only state to lose more than 10% of its vehicle population, slipping by almost 14%. It also was second only to Alaska (on a percentage basis) in trailer losses in Q4.
Other states in the Southeast had similar struggles.
Florida saw its verified vehicle population in dip by more than 7.5% quarter over quarter, with its trailer space contracting by nearly 15.5%. Louisiana had similar numbers, losing 7.1% and 10.2% of its vehicle and trailer populations during the same span.
Alaska and Oklahoma were the other states with the largest vehicle losses by percentage. Alaska, Arkansas, Florida and Louisiana experienced the largest trailer market contractions, with Massachusetts surprisingly finishing fifth.
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Conversely, Tennessee continues to outperform its southern brethren. The Volunteer State was one of only five states that grew its vehicle population in Q4, and was fourth (among 15 states) in trailer population growth.
Midwestern, Rust Belt states avoiding large carrier losses
As referenced earlier, no states grew their active prospect lists in Q4 but, in the middle part of the nation, carrier reductions were less impactful to statewide equipment levels.
Illinois and Wisconsin were two of just five states (Tennessee, Arizona and New Hampshire) to grow its verified vehicle and trailer populations in Q4. The 10 other states that grew their trailer populations were scattered, but did include a Midwestern segment (California, Connecticut, Indiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Rhode Island and Texas).
Illinois is now the only state to see its verified vehicle population rise successively over the last two quarters, and the state’s trailer level entering 2026 exceeds its mid-year 2025 level thanks to 3.0% growth in Q4.
The relative stability of the Midwestern and Great Lakes region is visible in six-month analysis too.
Indiana, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania are the only states to see a rise in active prospects since June. In the equipment space, Illinois, New Hampshire and Tennessee are the only states to grow their vehicle populations during that period. And trailer growth over the last six months has occurred in just California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee.
Nationwide, RigDig data indicates the active prospect population lost a shade under 1% of carriers in the second half of 2025, equating to nearly 13,000 fleets and owner-operator. The vehicle market is down 3.3% over the same period, with trailers down by just over 3.0%.
Mapping the Market will return in April with a summary of first-quarter changes in the carrier and equipment populations. For more advanced prospect and equipment data, including customer information, equipment brand demographics, market segmentation and more, go to RigDig.com.
